Abstract

It has seldom been remarked that nearly all of Marx's theoretical works were called, or subtitled, “A Critique … ” Marx laid the groundwork for his turn to the study of political economy in the 1843 “Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right”. The 1844 Manuscripts contain a critique of contemporary political economy, a critique of contemporary communist theories, and a critique of Hegel's dialectic and philosophy. The Holy Family is subtitled “A Critique of the Critical Critique”, and The German Ideology is a critique of the non-critical idealism of the Left Hegelians. The Poverty of Philosophy is a "reply” or critique of Proudhon's position, and Marx's next published economic work was entitled A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.